Today is All Souls Day as celebrated in the Catholic faith. It is a day to remember and pray for all those who have died and especially praying that they may enter into Heaven. I made it to Mass early this morning and started praying on my way there. I started by thinking of all the babies that I never knew as they were taken away before they could even make it out into this world – children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and siblings. I thought of extended family – cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, in-laws, and beyond. My mind then went to friends who I wished I could have known longer. I felt like I brought them all to Mass with me as I asked God to bring them into His heavenly Kingdom. After listening to scripture, the deacon gave the reflection. He talked about the way that we love our bodies and work hard to keep then healthier. He also challenged us to think about how we are taking care of our souls – the part of us that will last forever. I thought that was very appropriate considering what we have been going through. Jesus Christ died and was raised from the dead. He promised that whoever believes in Him will do the same and live forever- amazing to think about. I am hopeful to see all those who have died in Heaven.

Later, we went to the hospital to be with my mom. We were optimistic and my mother told us that the nurse said she thought she may be able to go home today. A woman came in to administer Holy Communion, so my mom was pretty happy about that. Then a woman who had a harp came around. She came into the room and played for us – it was so soothing and calming. Then a nurse came in and did an ultrasound on my mother’s heart. Not too long after that, the neurologist visited and said that the cat scan showed everything was normal and that my mom was doing great. Before she left, she was joined by a heart doctor. They found that there is a slight leak in the 2 upper chambers of my mother’s heart. This could cause a blood clot and could have been the culprit for the stroke. She prescribed a blood thinner and released my mom to go home. We settled back into the “normal” routine. I was still in awe of the fact that my mother had a stroke 2 days ago and you wouldn’t even know it now. Before bed, we said a prayer of thanksgiving to St. Jude.

I Found God today in a reminder that this body will not last forever, but there is hope of eternal life.